Baseball Preview: An Awful Lot To Like About CMU In 2022

Friday, February 18

Conway, S.C.

11 a.m.

Central Michigan University

West Virginia

Second baseman Mario Camilletti posted a .502 on-base percentage in 2021 in helping CMU to the MAC championship and an NCAA Tournament bid.

Photo by: Jack Reeber '23,M'25 - @jackreeber.raw

2/17/2022 8:14:00 AM | Baseball

By: Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – The Central Michigan baseball program enters the 2022 season with big shoes to fill, the result of graduation to key personnel.

But that's almost always the case in any given year, and the Chippewas have somehow managed to adjust under coach Jordan Bischel.

Bischel, CMU's fourth-year coach, has been all that and more since his arrival in Mount Pleasant before the 2019 season.

He led the Chippewas to the MAC regular-season and tournament championships in his first season, the regular-season crown in 2021, and the NCAA Tournament in both campaigns (there were no league championships and no tourney in 2020 due to COVID). He has been named the league coach of the year in each of his two full seasons in charge of the program.

The Chippewas, who open the season on Friday against West Virginia in Conway, S.C., are 100-38 including 54-14 against MAC opponents under Bischel. They finished first in the MAC preseason coaches poll and are ranked 16^th nationally by Collegiate Baseball newspaper.

CMU has become a red-letter date for all of its opponents. The Chippewas have welcomed the challenge with open arms.

"We've kind of been down that road a little bit now," Bischel said. "I think our guys are pretty accustomed to that and embrace it. You'd much rather be in that position than a team that's getting overlooked."

Sophomore Andrew Taylor and junior Jordan Patty lead CMU's pitching rotation and it's no exaggeration that the Taylor-Patty 1-2 punch may be as good as there is in college baseball.

Taylor, a lanky right-hander, is on the Golden Spikes Preseason Award Watch List after making nearly ever All-America team there is after a phenomenal 2021. He went 11-4 with a 1.81 earned run average and earned the MAC Pitcher and MAC Freshman Pitcher of the year awards. Taylor is one of 55 players on the Golden Spikes watch list; the award goes to the top amateur player in the nation.

Patty, also a right-hander, went 10-2 with a 2.46 ERA and earned Second Team All-MAC honors a year ago. He enters 2022 with 17 wins and a 2.22 ERA in his career (third best in program history), and his ledger includes the only perfect game in the 115-year history of CMU baseball. He could, when it's all said and done, rank among the program's all-time greats.

The big question marks on the mound involve the bullpen and the back half of the rotation.

Hard-throwing senior right-hander Logan Buczkowski will fill one of the starting roles while a slew of other candidates are in line to step into the No. 4 spot in the rotation as the 36-game MAC schedule comprises four-game weekend series including Saturday doubleheaders.

Among the many arms from which Bischel has to choose is left-hander Garrett Navarra, who is also a very capable hitter; Murray State transfer Jake Jones; and sophomores Ben Vitas and Clayton Brock. The latter three are right-handers.

"We have a lot of options," Bischel said. "We're going to see a lot of guys pitch early (in the season). Who steps up and makes quality pitches when they need to."

While the Chippewas graduated plenty, they return the keystone combination of second baseman Mario Camilletti and shortstop Justin Simpson, third baseman Aidan Shepardson, and outfielder Jakob Marsee.

Camilletti was a First Team All-MAC selection in 2021 after leading the nation with 61 walks and topping the MAC with 61 runs and a .502 on-base percentage.

Bischel is charged with replacing the power-hitting Griffin Lockwood-Powell – now in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization -- behind the plate. CMU got a good look at what life sans Lockwood-Powell would be like for 28 games a year ago when the veteran backstop was injured.

"We had to learn to function without him and the positive that came out of that is Drew Stengren and Nick Dardas really did a great job filling in," Bischel said.

The "wild card" behind the dish, Bischel said, is senior Adam Proctor, a 6-foot-1, 235-pound transfer from Michigan State, where he started 85 games over four seasons.

"Adam has really prepared himself well to have a big season for us," Bischel said.

Proctor is among the many on whom Bischel will rely to add consistency and, in some cases, pop, to lineup.

Many of those candidates are new to the program while others have seen limited plate appearances during their time in a CMU uniform. Included in that group are infielders Colton Coca, Danny Wuestenfeld, Chris Monroe and Robby Morgan IV.

That quartet, Bishel said, "have the ability to drive the baseball and drive in runs, but none have a long track record of success at this level. We really think they're capable."